Medicine, the Blockchain & Your Health

What decentralisation could mean for your health:

Your health is likely your most valuable asset.

The ability to run and swim and love and enjoy life is inextricably linked to good health.

And it's not until you (or a loved one) ends up stuck in a hospital bed, in a sterile hospital room, staring out the small window at the blue sky beyond, you realise you'd give any amount of bitcoin to be outside, enjoying life again!

And so our health is an invaluable asset, that we (myself included) frequently take for granted. Which begs the question, what price do you place on your good health?

Insurance companies will attempt to answer this question on your behalf.

In Australia, insurance companies are permitted to ask applicants whether they have had genetic testing and the results of those genetic tests.

Herein lies the problem - the insurance company is then permitted to discriminate on the basis of the results of that testing.

For example, if a patient has a family history of first degree relative with beast cancer, the patient is advised to seek screening, including genetic testing for susceptibility the BRCA1 gene.

However, there are publicised cases where patients are concerned they will not receive health cover based on results of their genetic testing, and so are opting to avoid getting the genetic testing done at the expense of their present and future health.

What's more, as technology inevitably advances and becomes cheaper to access, more and more people are seeking out genetic testing, ignorant to the fact that these results may be used against them when they next seek health cover.

Thus the centralisation of a patients potentially life saving, private medical information is in fact doing more harm than good, and in some cases, stopping patients from accessing preventative health care which has implications for their health and longevity.

How could the blockchain alter this situation?

It's possible that the decentralisation of a patients medical record on the blockchain could offer an alternative solution to this issue, whereby the patient regains control of their own medical record. The patient can choose who they allow to access their medical data.

The issue here would be in establishing an entirely accessible record for the patient, but one which is only accessible to them and not open to public ledger. I believe that this would require the record be encrypted so only the patient has access to their notes.

It is not too difficult to envisage a future where patients hold their own entire medical record, much like their bitcoin or ethereum wallet, and each individual holds their own password or pin as a way of unlocking it.

Patients could then set up protocol where in the event of an emergency, the hospital or their doctor can is permitted access to their password and in turn, medical data. But otherwise, their health record is entirely their own and cannot be used against them when seeking health cover and life insurance.

Does this seem a reasonable application of the blockchain? I appreciate your opinions and feedback on this idea.

Food for thought! And perhaps another future application of blockchain technology.